Yorkshire Getaway

Hello guys! After a lovely break, I’m back & ready to get into the habit of blogging weekly again! I’m looking forward to it because I’ve honestly missed it! To start, I thought I’d write about some of my holiday, seen as we had a lovely time & I thought it would make a great returning post. So here it is…

Some rest & relaxation was in order for me & Luke. We both have stressful and responsible jobs, so it was important to make time for ourselves. Neither of us felt like going abroad this time, so we spent a few days away in North Yorkshire. We stayed at a little place that was recommended to us by one of Luke’s friends. It’s called the Mayfields Retreat, a small log cabin a short drive away from Richmond. It’s designed with only couples in mind with a single bedroom, which made it a great getaway for us.

On the way there, stopped off at Yorkshire Sculpture Park for a visit & a rest from driving. I have to say it’s difficult interpreting modern art, but there were some lovely exhibits. Ones that stood out were the Galloping Horses display & the Octopus mosaic sculpture. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon & I enjoyed walking around the park.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Afterwards, we headed to our retreat up in North Yorkshire. I was stunned by how beautiful the place was. It’s only small but it is perfect for couples like us. It had under floor heating, a jacuzzi, access to Netflix & a bluetooth speaker amongst many other luxuries. You could choose between having central heating & a log fire. Just everything about it is incredible! It had a lovely homely feel about it & would be perfect to live in if I had the money!

Anuka Lodge

The next morning, we went out to visit a place close to where we stayed called Egglestone Abbey. This is a 12th century abandoned building owned by English Heritage. Sadly, it was a bit disappointing as all that was there was a small area of ruins. I love to visit ruins but there really wasn’t much to see. Even the locals gave us funny looks as if to say ‘What are they doing here?’! Unfortunately the nearby Barnard Castle (which is supposedly more impressive) was closed during our few days away. But at least our visit was free & the building was quite nice to look at.

Egglestone Abbey

After discussing what we should do with the rest of the day, Luke suggested going to Brimham Rocks. It’s a place he used to go to as a child & neither of us could think of anywhere more appropriate so off we went. This place is great if you love climbing like Luke does, unfortunately I don’t have the guts to be higher up than 3 feet but it’s still a good place to go even if you’re like me. The rocks & views are amazing and fascinating.

Brimham RocksCandid shot of Luke!

The following day, we decided to have a day of almost complete rest. It was well needed for us & for the most part, we stayed in the lodge. Then we went for a short walk around Richmond town. Richmond Castle was closed because it was still winter opening hours only there. We didn’t mind as we were just wondering around anyway. The sun shone which made the outside of the Castle look stunning. We stumbled across the River Swale at the bottom of some steps & walked alongside it. I managed to skim my first rock ever after many failed attempts, a childhood ambition of mine! Yay me!

Richmond CastleRiver Swale

The highlight of the trip was visiting Fountains Abbey & Study Royal near Ripon. This visit was on our last day to break up the journey home. We picked a stunning day for it, the sun was shining & the sky was clear blue. The Abbey is an old ruined building which housed monks in the 12th century. Despite being dilapidated, the Abbey is still stunning. It has large openings where stained glass windows would have been & tall arches without roofs. Luke had been before & was eager to show me the place, I’m glad he did.

Fountains Abbey

At Studley, there seemed to be no Deer around which was sad because it’s their key attraction & I love animals. But Luke’s knowledge of the place paid off as he led me through a field he suspected the Deer would be in & found a group of them huddled together! The photo didn’t come out well, but you can just see them if you look hard enough!

Deer at Studley Royal

Because we are National Trust members & had paid our yearly fee, it was free for us to enter. For non-members an adult ticket without gift aid is £13 & £6.80 for children. It’s expensive but that’s why it’s worth becoming a member as you save money in the long run. Especially if you’re frequent visitors to National Trust places like us. It was a real highlight of our holiday & I’d definitely go again.

This was a beautiful conclusion to our getaway, the lodge was beautiful & definitely exceeded our expectations. It was expensive but worth it considering whats included within it. We both needed this break & really enjoyed Yorkshire. Now it’s back to reality but we are both refreshed & ready to plan our next adventure!